CeCe Winans “Believe For It” Tour Was The Spiritual Rejuvenation That I Needed
For as long as I can remember, Gospel music has been a part of my life’s tapestry to help cultivate my spiritual sense, and a BIGGER portion of that was the influence and musical landscape that BeBe and CeCe Winans laid. My mom was a HUGE BeBe & CeCe fan during their formative years, so as a child growing up in the 80’s I had no choice but to listen to them wherever we went. It wasn’t until their third album “Heaven” that I would become a forever fan myself.
Friday night, October 13 would be the first time that I would get the chance to see Ms. Winans in concert, at her “Believe For It” Tour when it stopped for a Holy Ghost party at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore. Upon arrival, there was a line full of worshippers standing outside that ran down to the next block, awaiting to receive their blessing for the night.
Once we got inside, I immediately felt a sense that the Spirit was already flowing through the building when starting member of the praise and worship team Todd Dulaney was already present on stage. He along with his band and background singers began warming hearts and filling seats with a few of his selections “The Anthem,” “Free Worshipper,” and “No Weapon.”
Co-founder of Bethel Music and Bethel Music Worship School, Jenn Johnson is a musician, songwriter, singer and speaker that would continue to assist with bringing us closer to the Lord. Wearing a sweat shirt that said “Holy Forever”, she glorified the name of Jesus and lifted us up at the same time, inviting the presence of God came into the arena all while inviting us in to feel his presence. Her songs “Worthy,” “God I Look to You,” and “You Are My Hope, You Will Deliver Emmanuel” were used as catalyst to pray through and worship above everything that’s going on in our lives and the World today.
At around 8:30 PM with the arena full of fans alike, we were graced with the presence of 15x Grammy Award winner Cece Winans. Ascending out onto the stage like a consecrated angel in a white flowy ensemble that signaled she was certified ready to have church, she opened her show up with the charged anthem “Fire“, which is a standout track from her latest album “Believe For It.” An album that was released during the pandemic but came at the perfect time when so many people were lost and confused about how we would maneuver through life in a “chaotic” time, the songs that were included provided hope that we can push through and that Jesus is a conqueror!
“It keeps on getting better. Everyday of my life. When I am following You. (oh-oh-oh) It gets sweeter, sweeter. When I am following You (oh-oh-oh)” are lyrics of the song “Shepherd” that lead us into a moment when she started to preach about the goodness of God and how he’s lead her to celebrate 59 years of greatness!
Being that this was the first time that she’s done an official tour in ten years, there’s no surprise that the bulk of the setlist was comprised of newer material. We were delivered selections such as “Hunger,” “Just To Be Close To You,” and “No Greater,” that satisfied any of her “late comer” fans who may have just found out about her from her latest release. What I was enamored by the most was how she was able to vocally sound exactly the same as she did back in the 80s, and that one-of-a-kind CeCe tone shined through the most on “Alabaster Box” and “Never Lost.”
In the true sense of a gospel experience, Sister CeCe invited both Todd Dulaney and Jenn Johnson back on stage for an absolutely divine experience to assist her in singing “King of Glory,” “Goodness Of God,” and “Believe For It.” It was during this moment that she opened up the doors of the church and extended the invitation for someone in the crowd who may be a non believer, to accept Jesus as their personal savior. With the music playing in the background and the words that she had just sung, although I AM a believer, this was a moment where I couldn’t do anything but reflect on the sheer goodness of God.
After the long and trying week that I had, this concert was exactly what I needed to help fill my spiritual cup back up to its brim. Cece, if you’re reading this, please don’t take another ten years to go out on tour, and when/if you do, make sure that you bring your brother BeBe along with you, as I’ve been waiting my whole entire adult life for a BeBe & CeCe reunion tour…just saying!
